Page 76 of Crushes and Confections

“Pick however many you want and you can write out a little card, loop the ribbon through it, and tie it to the stem or bundle. Just make sure to put their name on the backside so we know where they’re going! If you need any help just let one of us know,” Janet said happily, leaving us to our own devices as she seamlessly moved to help someone else.

“Who else are you getting ones for?” I asked curiously.

“Well we have our soon to be new mother-in-laws, and sisters that are in town,” Adrien said. “Do you think Charlie or Hector would appreciate one? Or any of the other dads?”

My heart clenched at his damn thoughtfulness, and I couldn’t help but throw myself at him, pulling him towards me for a kiss. His hands went to my waist, meeting me with the same amount of enthusiasm before nipping my bottom lip.

“Easy there.”

“I mentioned that I really love you guys, right?” I said.

“Possibly,” Vance said. “But we’ll never get tired of hearing it. Now help us pick these out.”

We set to work on choosing which colors we wanted for who, finally deciding to get Claire a cluster of three of the most beautiful peach-colored carnations asking her to the Sweetheart Swing.

Adrien and Vance picked out the rest for my and Claire’s families after I clued them into some favorite colors. They decided to get one for all the dads as well, each writing a small heartfelt thank you on each.

“It seems you have quite an assortment here,” Janet commented as she rang us up.

“We’ve been blessed to be taken in by such wonderful people,” Vance said. “If it helps brighten their day, even just slightly, that’s more than worth it. They’ve already given us so much, yourself included.”

“Well, aren’t you a dear,” Janet said, pulling something out from the drawer along with our receipt. “Little gestures matter. What you do matters. You all clearly know that, so I think it’s time you have this.”

It was a small package of hardware that left both of the alphas looking down in confusion.

“I should have known you’d be part of the courting gift,” I said to Janet with a smile. “Thank you, seriously.”

“No need to thank me dear, seeing you happy is more than enough,” she said fondly.

The three of us left the booth with wide smiles on our faces. Who would have thought we’d keep finding these pieces when we least expected them just by living.

“How would the two of you feel about going dress shopping while we have some extra time?” I asked.

Adrien’s parents had been noticeably quiet since their proposition to Claire and I was pretty sure they had deluded themselves into thinking that she was considering their offer. Either way, I had friends in all the right places, aka basically everyone in Holiday Hollow, and everyone was on strict notice to update our community group chat should anyone spot them.

I knew the alphas both insisted that they weren’t going to modify their plans because of them, but I personally felt better that I knew nothing would drag down the day. After Claire had come back shaken, I definitely had my eye out for them.

“For the dance?” Vance asked curiously.

“Claire has accepted that I have carte blanche over most of her closet. She loves it just as much as me, and we tend to go together, but I figured it was something the three of us could have fun doing together. Now that we’re together, I’m expanding my privilege and picking out lingerie for her too,” I said, remembering the piece she’d surprised me with on our first night together.

I really needed to remember to frame that photo. It really didn’t go with the whole cottagecore vibe but I wondered if she’d let us hang it in her nest.

“You had us at ‘Claire’” Vance said, his cherry limeade scent growing more pronounced. “Would you pick something out for us too?”

“You sure you want to give me that kind of power?”

“You might as well enjoy it,” Vance said, leaning in until his lips were at my ear. “You certainly know you won’t have it when you’re naked and writhing between us.”

“Au contraire,” I said, channeling our Frenchman. “I’ll have all the power then.”

I turned away, looking at them over my shoulder and throwing them a wink before I motioned for them to follow me. There were only a couple places in Holiday Hollow that carried the kind of stuff we were looking for and now that I had the green light to dress them as well, I was determined to find them the tightest pants possible.

If it wasn’t a formal event, then I would have said assless chaps. Actually, I’d probably buy them some online anyway and then drag them out to the orchard with me for some good old-fashioned fun playing adult Apples to Apples.

Deciding I wanted to dress us up to complement Claire, I led them to Cherry & Cheer, a cute boutique that was both sassy and sophisticated, to pick her out something first.

The scent of cherries filled the air as we entered the store. The boutique loved living up to its theme by creating a relaxed and classy atmosphere with little touches of fun. Everything was white and sleek with pops of red.

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